1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control device and method both of which control controlled equipment such as a surveillance camera by natural language, as well as to a storage medium which stores program software which executes such method.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, if the image pickup direction, the image pickup magnification or the like of a camera installed at a remote location is to be controlled from an information processing terminal via a network, a user executes control while viewing a control window such as that show""n in FIG. 5 displayed on a monitor screen of the information processing terminal.
Specifically, if the user clicks on a slide button 10, the camera is instructed to turn the image pickup direction upward, whereas if the user clicks on a slide button 12, the camera is instructed to turn the image pickup direction downward. If the user clicks on a slide button 14, the camera is instructed to turn the image pickup direction to the left, whereas if the user clicks on a slide button 16, the camera is instructed to turn the image pickup direction to the right. If the user clicks on a slide button 17, the camera is instructed to increase the image pickup magnification, whereas if the user clicks on a slide button 18, the camera is instructed to decrease the image pickup magnification. Incidentally, an image being picked up by the camera is displayed on an image display part of the control window.
However, in the field of conventional control devices such as a control device for controlling a camera at a remote location, there is not an arrangement which performs control using voice nor a control device which interactively controls controlled equipment.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problem, and its object is to improve the operability of the above-described conventional type of control device and interactively control controlled equipment such as a camera by using voice.
To achieve the above-described object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control device which controls controlled equipment by natural language inputted by input means and which comprises a command table provided with control commands for the controlled equipment as a table corresponding to natural language, a control quantity table for determining a control quantity corresponding to a word indicative of a control quantity in the natural language and a kind of control, and control signal generating means for generating a control signal for the controlled equipment by applying the natural language inputted by the input means to the command table and the control quantity table.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control device which controls controlled equipment by inputting natural language by input means and which comprises preceding control quantity holding means for holding a control quantity by which the controlled equipment has been controlled immediately before the natural language is inputted by the input means, a control quantity table for determining a control quantity corresponding to the natural language inputted by the input means on the basis of a word indicative of a control quantity in the natural language and the control quantity held by the preceding control quantity holding means, and control means for computing a control quantity by which to control the controlled equipment, on the basis of the control quantity table, and controlling the controlled equipment.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method of controlling controlled equipment by natural language inputted by an input step, the control method comprising a control command detecting step of detecting a control command having a content corresponding to the natural language, by determining whether a word contained in the natural language inputted by the input step is registered in a command table provided with control commands for the controlled equipment as a table corresponding to natural language, a control quantity determining step of determining whether a word contained in the natural language inputted by the input step is registered in a control quantity table for determining a control quantity corresponding to both a word indicative of a control quantity in the natural language and a, kind of control, and determining whether the natural language contains any expression of control quantity, and, if the natural language contains some expression of control quantity, reading from the control quantity table a control quantity corresponding to a kind of the control command, and a signal generating step of generating a control signal for the controlled equipment on the basis of the control command detected by the control command detecting step and the control quantity determined by the control quantity determining step.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method for a control device which controls controlled equipment by inputting natural language by an input step, which control method comprises a preceding control quantity holding step of holding a control quantity by which the controlled equipment has been controlled immediately before the natural language is inputted by the input step, and a control step of computing a control quantity by which to control the controlled equipment, on the basis of a control quantity table for determining a control quantity corresponding to the natural language inputted by the input step on the basis of a word indicative of a control quantity in the natural language and the control quantity held by the preceding control quantity holding step, and controlling the controlled equipment.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage medium which externally readably stores program software for executing a control method of controlling controlled equipment by natural language inputted by an input step, the control method comprising a control command detecting step of detecting a control command having a content corresponding to the natural language, by determining whether a word contained in the natural language inputted by the input step is registered in a command table provided with control commands for the controlled equipment as a table. corresponding to natural language, a control quantity determining step of determining whether a word contained in the natural language inputted by the input step is registered in a control quantity table for determining a control quantity corresponding to both a word indicative of a control quantity in the natural language and a kind of control, and determining whether the natural language contains any expression of control quantity, and, if the natural language contains some expression of control quantity, reading from the control quantity table a control quantity corresponding to a kind of the control command, and a signal generating step of generating a control signal for the controlled equipment on the basis of the control command detected by the control command detecting step and the control quantity determined by the control quantity determining step.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage medium which externally readably stores program software for controlling controlled equipment by inputting natural language by an input step, the program software executing processing comprising a preceding control quantity holding step of holding a control quantity by which the controlled equipment has been controlled immediately before the natural language is inputted by the input step, and a control step of computing a control quantity by which to control the controlled equipment, on the basis of a control quantity table for determining a control quantity corresponding to the natural language inputted by the input step on the basis of a word indicative of a control quantity in the natural language and the control quantity held by the preceding control quantity holding step, and controlling the controlled equipment.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.